One of Us
by Pixeleve
Summary: Skykit is the daughter of rogues, abandoned on the edge of ShadowClan territory. Lambkit is a loner kit found wandering ThunderClan land. As they reach their sixth moon, a prophecy hangs over the clans' reign of peace. Lambpaw holds a dark secret from Skypaw. Skypaw has split loyalty and trust issues. Can these two save the clans, or will they drown them in blood?
1. Prologue: Crimson Snow

**A/N**

 **I'm sorry. If you read Stolen, that's why I'm apologizing. No worries though! A new chapter is coming soon, but this kept nagging in my head. I know I shouldn't start another fanfic but here we are.**

 **A remake of the original story; Unacceptable. Many,** _ **many**_ **things will be different in this.**

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 **Prologue: Crimson Snow**

A thick coat of snow covered the bleak, pine forest. Stems of bushes and dead brown leaves poked out from the white blanket. Snowflakes glided across the serene winds, one landing on the nose of an ashy grey she cat with darker flecks.

She sneezed, sending the speck up in the air with a flurry. "Cinderfrost, can we go back to camp now?" She begged, looking into her mentor's dark blue eyes.

The deputy shook her head to her apprentice, continuing on their path. "We can't just cut short on a border patrol, Fallenpaw. You know that; you're almost a warrior."

"But I haven't eaten _all_ day and- oof!" Fallenpaw squeaked, bumping into her mentor, who had abruptly halted.

Cinderfrost crouched to the ground, sniffing at a small, pool of blood. She stood up and broke into a sprint, kicking up snow from her hind paws. Fallenpaw shook the snow off her face and skittered after her mentor.

"Cinderfrost, where are we going? There's more cats on this patrol than us, you know!" Fallenpaw panted, puzzled as her mentor followed the blood droplets.

A golden tabby she cat with a brownish cream underbelly caught up to Fallenpaw, her amber eyes twinkling in bewilderment. "Fallenpaw, what's happening? Did something spook Cinderfrost?"

"Of course not, Goldenpaw!" Fallenpaw puffed, nearly running into the trunk of a pine tree. "Cinderfrost is the deputy. Nothing could ever scare her."

"Well, Shadypaw thinks she's afraid of ThunderClan, with us being so close to the border," Goldenpaw commented.

"Shadypaw is a bee-brain," Fallenpaw retorted to her sister, rolling her pale green eyes.

Cinderfrost came to a halt, stopping just at the ThunderClan border and the Two-leg place border. The blood droplet trail had become a blood pool, smeared and disappearing into a cave reeking of fox scent.

A dark soot colored tom with a white throat peered from behind Fallenpaw and Goldenpaw, his murky yellow eyes wide in concern. "What is this? Is this cat blood?" He asked, a brown tom with golden flecks and black dapples hiding timidly behind his leg.

"I smell foxes," a dark brown tom with black paws and tail tip growled under his breath. "I bet this is what's been causing the shortage of prey!"

Goldenpaw's fur bristled, standing beside the dark brown tom. "I think you're right, Olivefur." She sniffed, raising her puffed up tail.

"Let's not jump to conclusions, now," Cinderfrost warned. "For all we know this could be fox blood."

"But I smell cats!" Shadypaw peeped, slinking out from behind the sooty tom, Blacktooth.

Just as he spoke, a shrill scritch echoed out from the fox scent soaked den. The ShadowClan cats all exchanged curious and cautious looks.

Cinderfrost turned to her patrol. "Follow me," she barked, leaping into the darkness with her apprentice at her heels with no hesitation.

"Why is Cinderfrost so eager to charge into the face of danger?" Shadypaw whimpered, looking to his left and right at his sisters, Fallenpaw and Goldenpaw.

"Cinderfrost just lost her son," Olivefur spoke up from behind them, his voice grim "That cry we heard; that was a kit's cry."

Fallenpaw remembered with a shudder the horrific death of the medicine apprentice Flintpaw. He had been ripped apart by a fox pack just a quarter-moon ago. Cinderfrost probably thought this fox den belonged to the same one that murdered her son.

The blood trail had ended, now a drying, crimson pool that circled around the cold body of a dark grey tom with a white underbelly, which was pink with blood. Two fox cubs were half asleep on the other side of the den, the other making the shrill noise they heard.

Cinderfrost looked almost disappointed. What had she expected? To see Flintpaw alive and well? Did she think the squeak was from a kitten?

"He's not one of us," Cinderfrost choked out. "Nor ThunderClan. Just a measly rogue." She turned to back out of the fox den, but Fallenpaw blocked her path.

"Hold on!" Fallenpaw gasped, brushing past the deputy. "There's a milk scent on this tom!"

"That makes no sense," Cinderfrost marched up to her apprentice to take a whiff of the deceased rogue. Her eyes widened.

"Unless," Olivefur stepped forward between them. "He had a mate that had kits."

"The code states that we can't ignore kits in danger," Goldenpaw spoke up. "Right, Olivefur?" She looked up at her mentor. He dipped his head in agreement.

"You're right, Goldenpaw," Cinderfrost stated, taking the lead of their patrol. "We must see if these kits are safe."

"What if we come across the foxes?" Shadypaw gasped, his eyes round. His mentor, Blacktooth glanced down at him.

"Then pray to StarClan you remember how to fight," Blacktooth growled, swishing his thin tail. Cinderfrost narrowed her eyes at the warrior.

"He shouldn't need to pray if you trained him well," Cinderfrost snapped back. Blacktooth opened his mouth to talk back, but she glared at him sternly and he was quiet.

Goldenpaw's amber eyes sparkled with fierceness. Even as an apprentice, she had been very motherly. If these kits were dead, Goldenpaw would be a force to be reckoned with.

Fallenpaw's body tingled with anxiousness. She couldn't tell if she was scared or excited. She'd never seen a fox before, but from what she heard from the elders and warriors, they were probably as bad as badgers.

A low growl drifted into Fallenpaw's ears and she saw Cinderfrost's fur spike up. The mother fox had returned. Cinderfrost let out a yowl and she bowled into the fox, clearing the path for her clanmates to escape.

Olivefur sunk his teeth into the fox's leg, clamping down and raking his claws along the vixen's flank. "Blacktooth, take Shadypaw and Fallenpaw to find the kits!" Cinderfrost ordered. "Olivefur and Goldenpaw and I will deal with the fox!"

"If I was a starving kit, where would I be?" Fallenpaw muttered to herself, looking at the snow coated ground. Any scent would've been washed away by last night's blizzard.

"The blizzard!" Fallenpaw exclaimed. "They would need shelter from last night's blizzard!" She broke out into a run. "I know where the kits are!"

"What? Where?" Shadypaw wondered aloud, trotting hurriedly behind his mentor and sister.

"She's referring to the abandoned badger den not far from here," Blacktooth recalled. "It's well hidden so it's very likely who ever mothered the kits took shelter there. The only problem is, the territory lies half in ours and half in ThunderClan's."

"I smell milk scent!" Shadypaw exclaimed, ignoring Blacktooth and pressing his nose to a clump of ferns, yelping as the ground crumbled beneath his paws and he tumbled down into a hole.

Fallenpaw stuck her head in the hole after her brother. "Are you okay down there?!" She yowled. It was quiet. Then, a gasp.

"Yes! And there are kits here!" Shadypaw called. Fallenpaw backed up, her brother's head poking out of the hole he'd fallen into, two small bundles in his jaws by their scruffs.

Shadypaw placed them on the ground, the blind newborns squealing and mewling. One, a silver and blue grey tabby, cried out as a gust of cold wind hit her pelt. They hadn't even opened their eyes yet. The she kits aimlessly stumbled, but they soon found each other and tiny purrs rumbled in their throats.

The second she kit, a white almost as pure as the snow, but flawed by grey splashes on her fur, seemed to struggle in opening her eyes. She blinked once, twice, and the trio of ShadowClan cats were dazzled by a flash of brilliant blue.

"They're so cute!" Fallenpaw squealed, watching as the silver and white she kit clumsily chased a leaf. Blacktooth scoffed and turned away.

"They look like hairless mice," he grumbled. "They're not even ShadowClan blood."

"Why hasn't the other kit opened her eyes yet?" Shadypaw flicked his ears toward the silver and blue grey tabby she kit. She rolled blindly around, squeaking in anger as she bumped into various obstacles until her sister came to her aid.

The first she kit wrestled with a bit of dry moss she'd found, tossing it in the air and bits of moss shredded into useless pieces as her tiny claws tore into it.

The second one, the one who had yet to open her eyes, blundering around haughtily, gnawing on a dead leaf. "No, c'mon little one!" Fallenpaw approached the silver and blue grey tabby. "Cats aren't supposed to eat dead leaves."

Shadypaw snickered, the silver and white she kit curled up in his thick belly fur. Fallenpaw reached the snatch the leaf away from the kit, but she mewled and staggered away.

"No, come back!" Fallenpaw gasped as she saw the kit head towards a bramble thicket. The kit cried out in pain as she tripped over a pebble and tumbled into the thorns.

"Oh, oh no, poor kitten!" Fallenpaw exclaimed, scooping her up by the scruff. She was whimpering as Fallenpaw placed her down, red scratches over her eyes from the brambles.

"What happened?" Shadypaw asked, giving the injured kit a look over.

"She fell into some brambles," Fallenpaw sighed, giving the kit a lick on the forehead. Blacktooth glanced over at them with a groan.

"In case you two have forgotten, we did just abandon our clanmates to find these kits," Blacktooth grumbled. "So it'd be a good idea to go and help them."

"Then what do we do with the kits?" Shadypaw asked, looking down at them.

"Put them in a fern bush or something," Blacktooth snapped, heading away. "I, for one, am not about to sacrifice my life for some dead rogue's kits!"

"I'll take the injured one," Fallenpaw mewed, snatching her up and haring off, Shadypaw behind her with the sister kit. They bounced back to the path where they came, the scent of blood heavy in the chilly air.

Goldenpaw had a nasty, long gash along her shoulder and one of her eyes was swollen and half closed. Olivefur was laying in a pool of his own blood in the perfect snow, motionless aside from the heavy rise and fall of his flank.

"Flank it!" Cinderfrost rasped to the tabby apprentice. Goldenpaw snarled at the vixen, knocking her body into the side of the mammal.

Fallenpaw and Shadypaw placed the two kittens in an obscure mint bush beside the unconscious Olivefur, his belly badly torn.

Blacktooth had already thrown himself into the battle with ferocity, protecting Cinderfrost with a leap to the fox's neck.

The fox tumbled under the attacks from all five of them, falling to the ground with a snap and a snarl. Fallenpaw raked her claws along the vixen's chest, Shadypaw digging his teeth into its underbelly.

The fox gurgled as Blacktooth sank his jaws into the neck of the fox, his teeth clamping down and a sickening snap was heard.

The cats backed off of the fox, blood seeping from the broken and torn throat.

"Olivefur needs to get back to camp so Littlelight can fix him up," Cinderfrost meowed grimly, glancing over at her clanmate. She turned to Fallenpaw and Shadypaw. "Did you find the kits?"

Shadypaw marched over to the mint bush where they'd kept the kits. He reappeared with the two she kits with his jaws with a proud smile.

"What happened to that one's eyes?" Cinderfrost meowed as she noticed the red cuts. Fallenpaw licked the wound and the kit moaned as it stung.

"She fell in a thorn bush," Shadypaw answered, smoothing the fur of the silver and white she kit. Cinderfrost frowned, inspecting the scratches.

"They look deep," she remarked. "Will she be able to see when she open her eyes?"

Fallenpaw and Shadypaw exchanged looks. "We're not sure," Fallenpaw admitted.

"Was their mother dead as well?" Cinderfrost grunted as she lifted Olivefur onto her shoulders with Blacktooth's aid.

"She wasn't there, and any scent was drowned by the badger scent," Shadypaw screwed his nose up. "And I went in the den, so I should know."

"Are they coming to live in ShadowClan with us?" Goldenpaw squeaked. She looked over at them; Fallenpaw's kit was fast asleep, while Shadypaw's was dancing clumsily around his paws with wide eyes until he picked her up.

"They're so cute!" Goldenpaw cooed. Cinderfrost's cold gaze seem to soften at the sight of the helpless kits. She lowered her ears and looked away.

"They'll stay, if Nettlestar allows it," Cinderfrost sighed heavily, her eyes dull and staring straight ahead. Her blue eyes glance over at the rogue kits. She puffed out her cheeks. "They are cute… I suppose."

"Who will take care of them?" Blacktooth sniffed. "Surely no queen would want impure kits!"

Cinderfrost rounded on him with her eyes slitted. "Whether they have ShadowClan blood or not, the code states we rescue kits in need. And these kits are in need of a mother."

Cinderfrost shifted her shoulders, carrying Olivefur on her own as they entered the bramble enforced barrier to camp. "Grassblade can care for them; Bluekit, Poppykit and Ashkit are around the same age as them."

Blacktooth grunted, clearly miffed. He stalked away, making a beeline for the fresh-kill pile. A white tom with dark brown accents and deep blue eyes bounded towards Fallenpaw, Shadypaw and Goldenpaw.

"Snowpaw!" The three exclaimed in unison, all bearing some form of injury. Snowpaw pulled back, concerned.

"What happened to you three?" Snowpaw exclaimed, looking them up and down. They exchanged looks. Snowpaw noticed the two she kits in Fallenpaw and Shadypaw's jaws.

"We fought a fox!" Goldenpaw growled in excitement.

"We found a dead cat!" Shadypaw shivered, as if just remembering gave him chills.

"We found these kits!" Fallenpaw cried out, looking down fondly at the sleeping bundle she carried.

"You should go to Littlelight," Snowpaw advised his younger littermates. "It wouldn't be the first time she's seen you bloodied."

"And certainly she's seen us worse," Fallenpaw chuckled darkly as they collectively marched to the medicine den. The small, dappled brown-golden she cat turned as she heard the pawsteps enter her den.

"You three," Littlelight sighed. She was busy with several herbs for treating Olivefur. "What is it?"

"Cinderfrost must've told you; we found rogue kits," Goldenpaw meowned, motioning to the dozing kittens in Shadypaw and Fallenpaw's grasp. Littlelight's honey eyes lit up.

"Yes, yes, sorry!" She exclaimed. "Flintpaw-" Littlelight froze, going quiet. Cinderfrost's son had been her apprentice, and she often forgot his death.

"Uh, I, oh-" Littlelight cleared her throat sorrowfully. "Goldenpaw, can you get me cobwebs, marigold and goldenrod? The goldenrod is tall with yellow flowers. I just need it chewed into a poultice."

The golden tabby hesitated for a moment but she nodded, rummaging through the neat piles of herbs.

"Let me look over the kits while she does that," Littlelight mumbled as Shadypaw and Fallenpaw placed the newborns on the pine-needle covered ground.

"Hmm, this she kit is pretty much healthy other than slightly malnourished," Littlelight pushed the silver and white she kit back to Shadypaw. The medicine cat turned to the silver and blue-grey tabby.

"But this one's eyes are badly hurt," Littlelight sounded uncertain. "I can't tell because she hasn't opened her eyes, but she… she might be blind. I can treat it with celandine and see if that works well enough."

"W-well then do it!" Fallenpaw stammered. She felt partially responsible for the accident.

"Hm, well they're both underfed. Have any of the queens agreed to nurse them?" Littlelight asked, listening to their heartbeats and feeling their ribs.

"We were going to ask Grassblade, with her kits being about the same age," Goldenpaw mew was muffled through a bundle of herbs. She placed them at Littlelight's paws and the dappled she cat raced back to Olivefur.

"Then ask her," Littlelight replied distractedly. Shadypaw and Fallenpaw nodded, swooping the kits up. They mewled in alarm.

Fallenpaw hissed as her ear was caught on a bramble from the dense thicket surrounding the nursery. She quietly cursed her tall ears.

"Youngins," Gorsepetal nodded politely to the apprentices. The pale ginger tabby quickly noticed the two stray kits in their teeth. Her eyes clouded with bewilderment. Grassblade was watching Ashkit and Bluekit squeak as they silently batted a leaf back and forth. Poppykit was fast asleep, his eyes not yet open unlike his early bloomer littermates.

"Grassblade," Shadypaw whispered as they dropped the kits before the first-time queen. "We need you to nurse these kits."

"Please," Fallenpaw added softly, her eyes round and glowing. Grassblade blinked and looked down at the newborns.

"Whose are they?" She gave them a sniff and her ears pricked. "They don't smell like ShadowClan." She sounded reluctant now.

"Their mother abandoned them," Fallenpaw sighed. "All alone in the cold."

"Certainly you wouldn't do that as well?" Shadypaw meowed. Grassblade's eyes widened.

"N-no," she murmured, pulling them closer to her belly. "Of course not."

"What are their names?" Grassblade as well, staring at them with a content smile. She'd always wanted a big family after hers all died in a huge bout of greencough.

"She's Whitekit," Shadypaw pointed to the she kit who had already opened her eyes. Fallenpaw nudged him harshly.

"Wow, creative," she mocked. His ears flattened to his head and he rolled his eyes.

"Fine, er, uh, is Dovekit better?" He asked, meeting his sister's pale green eyes with a competitive smirk. She dipped her head.

"I'd like to see you do better," Shadypaw scoffed.

"I can, and will," Fallenpaw smirked, taking his challenge. She ran her tail tip along the silver and blue grey tabby she kit fondly. "She shall be called Skykit."

 **A/N**

 **Aaaaaahhhhh! I'm so excited for this reboot! SOOOO much is changing and it's a bit (lot) of a challenge and it's fun too! Read and review please! Reviews earn new chapter ;)**


	2. Chapter 1: Missing

**A/N**

 **Two chapter in a row? Stolen readers must be very upset with me. I'm sorry! I hope this fills the gap in the meantime.**

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 **Chapter 1: Missing**

"Skykit!" A familiar voice rang loudly in her ears. Skykit rolled over.

 _"Skykit!"_ The yowl came again, and Skykit jumped out of her nest with a start. Her neck fur prickled with irritation.

"Don't scare me like that, Dovekit," Skykit sighed, licking a paw and rubbing her over her face.

"I have something for us!" Dovekit squeaked, her voice high with excitement. Skykit smiled to herself. Dovekit's surprises were always wonderful, be it a soft feather or a cool scented fern.

Skykit heard something drop at her paws and the smell of fresh prey filled her nostrils. She scrunched her nose in reluctance.

"What's wrong?" Dovekit had clearly noticed Skykit's hesitation. "Grassblade says we can eat real prey now! C'mon!" Skykit felt nauseous as she heard her sister tear into the flesh of the prey and gulp it down.

"You gotta try some of this, Skykit!" Dovekit mumbled through gleeful mouthfuls. Skykit lowered her ears.

"I like Grassblade's milk, what's wrong with that?" Skykit muttered, scuffing her paws on the ground. Her pad found a stray pine needle and she soon found herself playing with it aimlessly.

"There's nothing wrong with nursing," Grassblade's voice came from a few mouse lengths away, but Skykit heard her paw steps coming over to them. "But you can't nurse forever."

"Why not?" Skykit squeaked, turning her head up to where she heard Grassblade's voice coming from.

"Because your teeth are getting sharp, and it hurts," Grassblade explained. "Bluekit and Ashkit have started to eat prey as well."

"You still let Poppykit drink milk!" Skykit grumbled, scanning the flooring with her paw to find the pine needle again.

"His teeth don't hurt. Yet. Poppykit is just a late bloomer," Grassblade purred as Dovekit licked her whiskers clean. "It seems your sister enjoys the taste of prey."

"Yes!" Dovekit burped, then chuckled sheepishly. "Mouse is fantastic!"

"Wait till you try frog and lizard," Grassblade laughed, her chuckle ringing in Skykit's ears like a taunt. She frowned and swished her tail back and forth.

"I can't wait till I'm an apprentice!" Dovekit squealed. Skykit felt Dovekit's eyes on her. "Don't you, Skykit?"

"I guess so?" Skykit's answer was unsure. She had her doubts about becoming an apprentice beside her sister and adoptive littermates. Even without seeing Dovekit, she could feel the pity burning in her sister's eyes.

Skykit scowled. She felt Grassblade's thick tail rest on her shoulder. "You'll be training with Dovekit in no time, just you see." Skykit felt a growl rise in her throat, but she held it back. She knew Grassblade didn't believe her own words. She could sense the flicker of doubt ripple through the queen's pelt.

"Why don't you go play with Icekit and Snowkit?" Grassblade suggested, unknowing that Skykit had sensed the doubt of her mother. "They're only a moon older than you after all."

"Okay," Dovekit agreed. "But they're so hard to tell apart!"

"Perhaps when their eyes change, it'll be easier," Grassblade purred. Skykit scrabbled after her sister as she heard her rise, Skykit laughing to herself.

Skykit could easily tell Icekit and Snowkit apart; Icekit held herself higher and spoke quicker and louder, while Snowkit slouched slightly, spoke softly and tended to be more skittish.

Skykit purred as the brambles tugged through her fur, like when her sister groomed her fur. Luckily, the barbs weren't sharp enough to prick her. Skykit inhaled deeply as the exited the nursery, the air crisp and frosty, but she felt the sun's warmth on her pelt.

New-leaf was just finally arriving, after what seemed like an eternity of snow and sickness. Skykit remembered with a pang the painful coughing of Gorsepetal, until the elderly queen finally passed a moon ago.

Littlelight had been overworked with the greencough, running around like crazy without an apprentice to collect all the catmint and chickweed she could. She had done her best, but she'd lost Gorsepetal, Reedpelt, Leafpaw, Scorchkit, Specklekit, Talonflight and Mintpaw.

Littlelight would be thankful when Poppykit is old enough to apprenticed, as he wanted to train and learn medicine under her. Skykit briefly wondered if Littlelight could take two apprentices. As much as Skykit strived to become a warrior, she knew she probably never could.

"Skykit!" Dovekit's call pierced through her thoughts. "Keep up," she teased with a giggle.

Skykit dipped her head, dashing forward to her sister's voice. She raised her ears, observing her clanmates around camp. She heard Sunhawk and Frostygrass sharing tongues beneath the Tallrock, the steady lapping of their tongues like water dripping from a rain-soaked leaf.

Skykit turned as she heard two pairs of paws running towards her. She purred as the scents of Fallenleaf and Shadygrass bathed her tongue. They had become warriors soon after Skykit and Dovekit had joined ShadowClan.

"Wassup, runts?" Fallenleaf crowed teasingly. Shadygrass chuckled beside her. Skykit heard his tail whisk back and forth in the air with laughter.

"Hello, Fallenleaf!" Skykit greeted her, tipping her head. Dovekit darted in front of Skykit, her pelt brushing against Skykit's face.

"What's the juicy warrior gossip?" Dovekit cackled, and Skykit felt Fallenleaf's breath on her whiskers, leaning in close. It smelled of lizard.

"I'll tell you," Fallenleaf whispered, her voice tinged with mystery. Skykit felt Dovekit's fur spike up in excitement beside her.

Fallenleaf sat down beside Skykit, her thick ashy grey fur warm against Skykit's somewhat shorter pelt. Shadygrass plopped down beside Dovekit, stretching out on his back and groaning in delight as the sunlight warmed his belly.

"I heard the senior warriors talking about a family of badgers moving into that den we found you two in," Fallenleaf explained, her tongue lapping against her pelt. Skykit could smell soil and dried bits of leaves in her friend's fur.

"Wow, really?" Dovekit sounded scared and in awe at the same time. Shadygrass snickered between picking out what seemed like burrs from his pelt.

"The older warrior still think us apprentices," Shadygrass grumbled. He spat out another bramble. "We've been equals for three moons now."

"They respect Snowlion," Fallenleaf pointed out, her voice rumbly like she was bothered by it. "He can be so prideful."

"They like Snowlion because he's big and can win a good fight," Shadygrass huffed. Skykit could practically feel the jealousy from his voice in the air like a clump of earth.

"What about Goldenrain?" Skykit wondered aloud. "She's nice and everyone seems to be lighter around her. She always smells like daisies and warmth."

Fallenleaf purred and laughed. "Goldenrain has a bubbly personality and it just brightens up everyone else. So I suppose she makes everyone happier."

Skykit yawned, her back arching as she stood. She sat back down, wrapping her tail over her paws. She drew her tongue over her paws and perked her ears to listen to her clanmates.

Thornfang was sharing a rabbit with Gingerbreeze, their one day old daughter suckling sleepily on the fluffy queen's belly. Skykit noted that the rabbit smelled like soil and grass.

Bluekit and Ashkit were tossing a lizard about, chasing the prey around camp. Skykit wrinkled her nose at the musty smell; the lizard was clearly stale. Cloudheart, Starkwing, Berryclaw, Redpaw and Mudpaw had just returned from a hunting patrol, their paws heavy on the ground from weariness. Skykit breathed in the smell of the bountiful catches, the scent wafting around camp. She could sense her clanmates hungrily perking up at the smell.

Cloudheart's paws steadily padded towards Icekit and Snowkit, her muzzle brushing against them with a loud purr. "I have to go report to Nettlestar, I'll be back my dears." Cloudheart assured her daughters.

Skykit lost all interest in her other clanmates, her senses focused on Cloudheart's paws confidently walking towards Nettlestar's den.

"May I come in, Nettlestar?" Cloudheart asked, almost sassily. Skykit briefly wondered why she was so teasing until he replied.

"Of course, my love," Nettlestar rumbled. They were mates!

"Whitelight's border patrol went to track down the badgers and drive them out, but they told us they'd be needing reinforcements," Cloudheart reported, her voice sharp and clear. Skykit imagined she had a very strict face and eyes.

Skykit's hearing was drowned out by a shriek coming from the clearing. She angled her senses towards the cry.

"Th-the badgers," a voice mumbled. Skykit recognized it as Flamepaw. His paw steps staggered and Skykit felt the ground thump as he collapsed heavily.

"Littlelight!" Pinepelt cried out, crouching to his bloodied son. He frantically rasped his tongue over Flamepaw's wounds, his tail waving in the air back and forth worriedly.

"Move, move!" Littlelight's paws pittered across the ground, her stubby legs trudging hurriedly.

Littlelight did a swift exam, worry flowing off her in waves. Blood and badger stink overwhelmed Skykit's nostrils. "Bring him in my den," Littlelight ordered, her voice somber.

Skykit could her Pinepelt's paw steps were shaking, pausing every once in awhile to regain his composure.

Skykit raised her nose, a breeze carrying badger scent and blood. Alarm pounded in her chest. She could feel the rumbling, lumbering steps of badgers in the ground through her paws. She could hear the snuffling of their noses and low moans of communication.

"They're coming!" Skykit yowled, trying to warn her clanmates. She turned to Fallenleaf, biting at her foreleg. "The badgers! They're here, they're here!"

"What?" Fallenleaf's voice changed to cautious. "How do you know?"

"I smell them!" Skykit panted. "I feel them and hear them! They're almost at camp!"

Fallenleaf stood, her body rigid and fierce. She gave Shadygrass a jab and they darted away. "Prepare yourselves!" Fallenleaf hissed loudly, her voice echoing from the base of where Nettlestar gave his announcements.

"The badgers must've have followed Flamepaw here," Fallenleaf growled. Skykit could sense her clanmates growing tense.

"How can you know that?" Blacktooth snapped at the young she cat. Skykit heard Fallenleaf contain a snarl.

"Skykit can hear them," she explained. "Her hearing is the keenest of all of us, along with her nose."

The ShadowClan cats murmured low agreements. Skykit smirked to herself as she heard Blacktooth huff in defeat. The thorn tunnel shook, the rustling sound of leaves ringing in Skykit's ears.

The clan cats all screeched a battle cry as the badgers trampled over the thorn tunnel. Skykit felt Dovekit press against her. Skykit felt dizzy, her ears pounding with screams and hisses and growls and fur tearing. Her nose was burning with the scent of blood and the foul, earthy badger scent. Her paws were unbalanced, feeling the ground shake and rumble with cats and badgers alike falling to the ground and the dens collapsing around them.

Skykit gasped as she felt a warm, wet stream fall down her cheeks. She curled into herself, sobbing and sniffling. She suddenly heard her sister cry out, and her thick fur was torn away from beside Skykit.

"NO!" Skykit screamed, staggering to her paws. She whipped her head around, trying to focus her senses on where her sister went. "Dovekit, come back! Where are you?!" Skykit shrieked, her chest heaving.

She unsheathed her claws, using them as traction as she maneuvered around her camp. "DOVEKIT!" She cried, failing to pinpoint her sister. She stopped, feeling a hot breath on her neck. Skykit gagged on badger scent, scrambling away.

Skykit grunted as she rammed into one of the fallen walls of the thorn tunnel, brambles clinging to her pelt and digging into her flesh. She crawled through the thorns, blood trickling down her pelt.

Skykit bumbled about, panting as tears and blood dried on her face. She heaved over a fallen log, shrieking as she fell into a gap in the top. Bugs and dirt surrounded her within the safety of the timber. She curled within herself, making herself into small circle.

Skykit cried into her paws, forcing her imagination to feel Dovekit's warmth around her and her nose to scent her essence. The sounds around her seem to face and get farther away. Her senses dulled and she let sleep engulf her.

…

Skykit slowly came to, sounds blurred and mashed together.

"I can't find Skykit!" One voice called out, a she cat. Her voice was trembling. "Where is she?!"

"I can't find Dovekit either!" Another voice hollered, a tom. His pawsteps were spread out, indicating he was running around. "Where could they have gone?"

"I found Skykit's blood in the thorns here!" The she cat whimpered. Her paws galloped towards the log.

"Did the badgers take her?" The tom fretted, his paws getting closer.

The she cat sighed in relief. "No, she's here." Skykit went limp in the she cat's jaws as she was picked up from inside the log. Dead moss, soil and bugs clung to her fur.

"Is she okay?" The tom asked. His breath was warm on her face and his cool, earthy scent calmed her. Skykit lolled in the she cat's jaws, the feel of her soft fur soothing the kit.

Skykit grunted quietly as she was placed down onto a thrush-feather lined bracken nest. She breathed in the spicy scent of Fallenleaf, and the chilled, soily scent of Shadygrass.

Skykit frowned. "Where's Dovekit?" She whimpered, feeling Littlelight's tail scan her over.

"She's gone, Skykit," Fallenleaf's meowed bleakly. Skykit froze with terror. Her chest felt empty and her stomach was knotted. Her paws were heavy like storm clouds and her throat was dry.

"Dovekit's dead?" Skykit choked out the words like prey bones. She could feel Shadygrass and Fallenleaf tense around her, not answering. Skykit slumped and dread washed over her. If it took that long to answer, then she knew the answer.

"Dovekit left me," Skykit mumbled, her voice shaking at the start of crying. "And now she's dead." Skykit buried her muzzle into her paws, sobbing. "She's gone…"

Fallenleaf curled up beside Skykit comfortingly. "She's in StarClan, Skykit." Her whisper was warm and soft.

"Did you find her?" Skykit squeaked. "I wanna say good-bye."

"We didn't find her anywhere," Shadygrass spoke up, his voice low. "Only scraps of her fur."

Skykit sighed shakily. "Dovekit…" She whispered. She felt something soft drop at her paw pads. "What's this?" She twirled it in her pads. "It feels like fur."

"We found this in your and Dovekit's bedding," Shadygrass explained. "Something to remember your sister by."

"It smells like her," Skykit sighed. "She always smelled like mint and honey."

"Look towards me," came Littlelight's voice from behind her. Skykit turned to the direction she heard the medicine cat's voice from. She felt the cobwebs fall from her eyes and peel away.

Liquid dribbled into both Skykit's eyes, and she blinked as Littlelight told her to, to mix in the medicine. "See anything?"

Skykit blinked again, then frowned. "No," she sighed. Littlelight seemed to grumble under her breath.

"Let's try a stronger dose this time," Littlelight meowed, the juice trickling into Skykit's eyes again. "Blink." She ordered. Skykit rolled her eyes around, blinking repeatedly.

"Well?" Littlelight asked almost impatiently.

Skykit looked about, then gasped. "Yes! There's a warmth!"

"A warmth?" Littlelight sounded confused. "Describe it to me."

"I don't know how to," Skykit confessed. "It's different than what I always see."

"It's not black?" Littlelight's voice perked up.

"No," Skykit shook her head. "Well, I don't know. I don't know what black is."

"Pretend it is a sound or smell," Littlelight suggested. "Then tell me."

"Hmm," Skykit sighed. "If it was a smell it would be bleak. If it was a sound it'd be dull."

"Grey!" Littlelight gasped. "You're seeing grey, Skykit!"

Skykit smiled widely. "I'll be an apprentice? I can be a warrior?"

"Yes," Littlelight cheered. "The treatment for your blindness is working, Skykit."

 **A/N**

 **AAAH! That last part was very difficult to write, since if you're blind you don't know colors. Reviews for next chapter please!**


	3. Chapter 2: Sight

**A/N**

 **Sorry for being gone so long...two years to be precise... Finally we get to the good parts! Gotta love me drama to come!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Sight**

"Littlelight is looking for you, Skykit!" Poppykit meowed, and Skykit turned her head as she heard his small paws pad towards her.

Skykit smiled with glee, nuzzling her brother. "Thank you!" She dashed off, following the scent of the the medicine den.

"I'm here, Littlelight!" Skykit called out. Fallenleaf trotted up behind her, her spicy scent wafting to Skykit's nostrils.

"Hey, Skykit," Fallenleaf purred, giving the kit a lick behind the ear. Skykit squeaked as her wet tongue brushed her fur.

"Your tongue is cold, get off!" Skykit laughed, throwing her paws playfully out at Fallenleaf.

"This is your last celandine treatment, Skykit," Littlelight purred proudly. "And you can remove the cobwebs and finally see the world."

Skykit fidgeted. "I'm a little scared," she gulped. Fallenleaf's tail brushed her spine.

"You'll be fine," Fallenleaf assured her. "I'll be right here when you open your eyes, like it should've been when I found you."

"We'll all be here," came Poppykit's voice. Skykit could scent Raventalon as well, her adoptive father.

"Open," Littlelight ordered. Skykit peeled off the cobwebs, blinking as she saw colored blurs that Littlelight told her were browns and greys, with some supposed golds. The celandine liquid seeped into her eyes, and she blinked, rolling her eyes to spread it evenly.

"You can open again now," Littlelight meowed softly. Skykit kept her eyes closed, nervous and visibly shaking.

She felt Fallenleaf's paw on hers and their whiskers touched. "I'm right here."

Skykit let out a shaky sigh, and slowly fluttered open her eyes. She blinked a couple times, her vision clearing. Skykit gasped, stumbling backwards.

She could see! Tears flowed down her cheeks. "I-I can see!" Skykit sobbed, laughing joyfully. She stared at the ashy grey she cat with darker flecks before her.

"Fallenleaf?" She asked hesitantly. It smelled like her, like spice and dust. The cat's eyes twinkled and she nodded.

"You're so pretty!" Skykit exclaimed. She met her friend's eyes. "What color are your eyes?"

"This is green," Fallenleaf purred. Skykit's eyes gleamed.

"Green!" She gasped. "I wanna see grass!"

She stopped, recognizing the mingling scents of Poppykit and Raventalon. "Papa! Poppykit!"

"I love your pelt, Poppykit!" Skykit cried out. "And your eyes are yellow, dad!"

Skykit brushed past them, standing in awe of the camp. She spotted stalks of green sprouting from the ground, and she stroked them with her paw. It was grass!

"Is this grass?" Skykit breathed, turning to Fallenleaf. The warrior nodded.

"What's blue look like?" Skykit gasped, darting away. Fallenleaf chased after her. Skykit stopped, noticing a pebble on the ground.

"A rock! It's grey!" Skykit observed. She giggled, then gasped again as she noticed a flower.

"That's a daisy," Fallenleaf chuckled. Skykit stared in awe at it.

"There's different colors on it," she sounded puzzled and awestruck.

"Yes, the petals are white, center is yellow and the stem is green," Fallenleaf explained. Skykit stood again.

"Can I see water?" She asked brightly.

"There's a pond by the nursery, I'll take you to it," Fallenleaf agreed. Skykit bounced up and down the entire way, asking questions.

"What's that?"

"It's moss."

"It's a different green. Do all colors have different shades?"

"Yes."

"There's so much green here!"

"Yes, there is."

"Is that Grassblade? With Bluekit and Ashkit?"

"Yes."

"She's got grey fur! So does Ashkit. Is Bluekit's fur really blue? It looks more grey to me."

"It's a blue-grey. His eyes are more blue."

"Can I go see?"

"After we see the water, maybe."

"Hey, Fallenleaf?"

"Yes, Skykit?"

Skykit shuffled her paws. "What… what did Dovekit look like?" Fallenleaf stopped short.

"Well, she was white all over," Fallenleaf started. "With light grey splotches, here, here, here, here, and here." She pointed to Skykit's neck, left eye, back, nose, and right hind leg.

Skykit sighed. "I wish she was here. Becoming an apprentice beside me."

Fallenleaf licked Skykit's cheek comfortingly. "I'm sure she's looking happily at you from StarClan." Fallenleaf stopped at a circle in the ground. "This is the pond, and before you ask, yes, it is blue."

Skykit leaned down, looking in amazement at the water, then staggered away as she spotted another cat. "Who's that? Is... is that me?"

Fallenleaf purred. "Yes, silly. Why don't you look?"

Skykit reluctantly peered at her reflection, observing herself cautiously. She was white, with grey and blue grey stripes. She frowned as she noticed the color of her eyes.

"What color are my eyes?" Skykit asked, bewildered.

"Violet, my dear. It's a shade of purple," Fallenleaf smiled. Skykit purred softly.

"Violet," she remarked, staring them back in the pool.

"C'mon!" Fallenleaf tugged on Skykit's scruff and she yelped. "I'm sure Nettlestar is getting ready for your apprentice ceremony.

Skykit gasped. "My ceremony!" She whipped her head around to Fallenleaf. "Could you be my mentor?"

Fallenleaf laughed. "I wish! I don't think Nettlestar would, though. He'll probably choose someone more qualified." She snickered, as if hiding something.

"Are you not telling me something?" Skykit teased. Fallenleaf laughed awkwardly.

"What? No way!" Fallenleaf looked away, and Skykit raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine," Fallenleaf admitted. "I'm not going to be your mentor. Nettlestar asked me to be Bluekit's mentor."

Skykit jumped up in glee. "We can still train together!"

"I suppose, I'm just afraid I'm not experienced enough," Fallenleaf sighed, chewing nervously on a claw. Skykit swatted away her paw and smiled warmly.

"You'll be perfect, you furr-ball," she insisted. Fallenleaf sighed in relief.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that," she kicked a pebble across the ground. "Frostygrass and Sunhawk think Snowlion is getting an apprentice, with him being the _responsible_ one."

Skykit gave Fallenleaf a playful nudge. "Snowlion is a stuck up." She turned her nose up and smirked.

Fallenleaf snickered. "Yes, of course." Fallenleaf gasped as they got back to camp. "Nettlestar's already called a meeting!"

She sprinted forward, zigzagging through the pine trees and into the hollow. She skittered to a stop, Skykit just behind her. Fallenleaf nosed her up to the Tallrock. "Go on!" She whispered with an encouraging grin.

Skykit looked down at her fur. It was clumped with pine needles, moss and grass. She glanced over at her siblings with their neatly groomed fur. She blushed heavily as she felt her clanmates' judging eyes on her. Or at least that's what she assumed their eyes were saying, she wasn't very good at reading emotion yet.

Grassblade shook her head and groaned, ashamed Skykit looked like a mangy fox in front of the entire clan. Skykit fidgeted embarrassedly.

"Bluekit, Ashkit and, um, Skykit, you have reached the age of six moons," Nettlestar's voice trailed off slightly, sending Littlelight a look, as if unsure he should make Skykit an apprentice. The small she cat have a curt nod. Skypaw felt a pain in her chest. Dovekit should be beside her.

"And now it is time for you to be apprenticed," Nettlestar announced. "From this day on, you shall be known as Bluepaw. Your mentor will be Fallenleaf. I hope she will pass down all she knows to you."

Nettlestar turned to the ashy grey she cat, who had climbed up the Tallrock to meet her new apprentice.

"Fallenleaf, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received exceptional training from Cinderfrost and you have shown yourself to be determined and nimble. You will be the mentor of Bluepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him," Nettlestar announced.

Bluepaw gave a cocky grin and hastily touched noses with Fallenleaf, resulting in a somewhat hurtful collision.

"Ashkit, from now until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Ashpaw. Your mentor will be Sootfall," Nettlestar turned to the bulky dark grey tom. "You have received excellent training from Dryleaf, and you have proven yourself to be courageous and brave, and I trust you to pass all you know to Ashpaw."

Sootfall and Ashpaw politely bumped noses with calmness glinting in their eyes. Ashpaw looked slightly nervous, but Sootfall gave him a reassuring flick of his ear. Ashpaw's yellow eyes twinkled in relief.

"Skykit, from this day until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Skypaw. Your mentor will be Lionshadow," Nettlestar greeted the golden and brown tabby tom with a friendly blink. "You have been trained well by myself, and you have shown great initiative and wisdom, and I trust you will pass all you know to Skypaw."

The muscular warrior padded up to Skypaw, his amber eyes alight with intelligence and wit. Skypaw's lean legs shook in anxiety, intimidated by his intensity. Skypaw found herself unmoving and frozen. Even in her previous blindness, she had found Lionshadow to be daunting, his voice deep and resonating from higher than her, indicating he was tall and large.

Skypaw gasped as Lionshadow's black, damp nose touched her tiny pink one. His eyes now glinted with amusement of her jumpiness.

The clan started to cheer their new names, but Littlelight clambered into the Tallrock, Poppykit beside her.

"Cats of ShadowClan, as you know, I will not be around forever," Littlelight began, her voice echoing around camp despite her soft tone. "I have chosen a new apprentice. The next medicine cat, shall be Poppykit!"

"Poppykit, do you accept the post of medicine apprentice to Littlelight?" Nettlestar asked, turning his broad face to the golden tabby.

Poppykit nodded enthusiastically. "I do!"

"Then from this day forth, until you earn your medicine cat name, you shall be known as Poppypaw," Nettlestar bellowed.

"At the next half moon, you shall travel to the Moonpool with Littlelight to share dreams with StarClan and be accepted by your ancestors," Littlelight purred, meeting noses with her new apprentice.

Poppypaw bounced with glee, skipping towards Skypaw with gleaming, yellow-green eyes. "So?" He asked.

"So, what?" Skypaw asked, tilting her head.

""How do you like it? Everything? The world?" Poppypaw asked, his ears perked up. Skypaw's violet eyes lit up.

"It's beautiful!" Skypaw exclaimed, dancing around her brother. "I really like green! It's so pretty and everywhere! Blue is amazing too!"

"There is a color that's a mix of the two," Poppypaw chuckled. Skypaw's face went blank in shock.

"No way!" She giggled, bouncing up and down. She hugged him tightly. "I'm glad I can finally really meet you."

Poppypaw pushed her off with a laugh. "You already knew me, Skypaw. I'm your brother." He lolled over her, resting his side against her dramatically.

"I mean getting to look at you, you bee-brain!" Skypaw cackled, shoving him off. He collapsed with a grunt and a dust cloud puffed up in the air.

Poppypaw huffed and glared up at her with a raised eyebrow. He leapt up with a playful roar and tackled Skypaw to the ground, nipping at her ears.

"Get off, you lump!" Skypaw laughed, swatting harmlessly at his cheeks. Poppypaw growled, tossing her across the ground. Skypaw grunted, shaking the dust from her fur.

She pricked her ears, listening for him to make a move. Poppypaw's feet scuffed the ground, and he starting running. Skypaw gasped, realizing she hadn't been focusing on her eyes but instead of hearing.

"Oof!" Skypaw gasped, getting the wind knocked out of her as she was pinned to the ground.

Poppypaw pulled himself off her and stared at with confusion. "You saw me coming." He stated, his voice puzzled.

Skypaw shuffled her paws embarrassedly. "I-I didn't? I mean, I did but I didn't focus on that. I wasn't seeing what I was seeing… Does that make sense?"

Poppypaw shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose. You've been using your ears and nose your entire life. And suddenly you have this whole new sense you never knew before. Of course your instincts wouldn't be to rely on it."

Skypaw sighed, nervously flexing her claws. "Maybe I should've become a medicine cat with you, Poppypaw."

Her brother gasped and shoved her. "No way! You're going to make a great warrior one day. I just know it! Just have faith."

She looked up at him with round, damp violet eyes. "You think?"

Poppypaw nuzzled her cheek with his own. "I _know_ so." He insisted. His eyes drifted towards Lionshadow, who has began walking towards them.

"I think Lionshadow wants to take you out to see the territory," Poppypaw nodded his head towards the golden and brown tabby. Skypaw swung her head around and mewed a goodbye to her brother before slipping away.

"H-hello, Lionshadow!" Skypaw stammered, trying to puff her chest out. He purred in amusement.

"Come on, Skypaw," he chuckled deeply. His voice was thick like honey and deep like a toad croak. "I don't bite." He teased and he gave her a playful nudge, but he unbalanced her and she stumbled over slightly.

"Whoa, ahaha," Skypaw laughed nervously. _Am I sweating? I can't tell if he likes me. Oh StarClan I think he hates me!_ She fumbled after him, panting as he broke out into a run through the thorn tunnel.

"Ah! Urgh, come _on!"_ Skypaw groaned, trying to keep up with him. She grunted as her paws seemed to catch under every tree root and fern.

Lionshadow hadn't turned to see if she was catching up or not. Skypaw cried out as she had forgotten her use of her eyes and slammed right into the trunk of a pine tree.

Skypaw whimpered softly, rubbing her muzzle. She heard Lionshadow's paws halt and march towards her.

"Are you okay?" Lionshadow asked hesitantly, his voice thick. Skypaw groaned, staring in bewilderment at the red droplets on the ground. "It smells like blood." She stated dizzily.

Lionshadow hurried to her side, inspecting her bleeding nose. "That's because it is."

"Oh," Skypaw mumbled, her head spinning. "How was I supposed to know?" She felt woozy.

Lionshadow looked at her with confused amber eyes. He raised an eyebrow, showing he didn't understand.

"I was blind," Skypaw laughed, almost sarcastically. "I don't know what anything _looks_ like." Blood continued to fall from her nose. "I won't make a good apprentice." She laughed again, this time sadly and more of a scoff.

Lionshadow licked the blood from her nose and helped her up. "I can teach you." He looked away timidly. "I've never had an apprentice before."

Skypaw stood up shakily, her muzzle throbbing. "Then it'll just be harder." She sighed, arching her back.

"Look," Lionshadow sat her down and sat next to her. "I know how you feel."

Skypaw pushed his paw off hers with fury. "No, you don't! How could you?"

"I do know, Skypaw," Lionshadow insisted. He stared at his paws. "I had a son. He was blind at birth, but Twolegs fixed him."

Skypaw lifted her head. "That's great! But, why isn't he here with you? If you joined the clans why wouldn't he?" Her voice grew hesitant.

Lionshadow stirred up dead leaves with a swish of his thick tail. "He killed himself. Ran right in the path of a monster."

"Oh, my StarClan!" Skypaw gasped. "That's horrible! Why would he do that?"

"I think you know the answer to that question," Lionshadow meowed gruffly. "You said it yourself."

Lionshadow stood and helped her find her paws as well. Skypaw thought for a moment as they slowly walked through the forest.

"He didn't think he'd make a good cat?" She wondered aloud. Lionshadow's eyes dulled.

"He thought he was useless," Lionshadow's voice was bleak. It reminded Skypaw of the color grey, which she found more of a sad color as well.

"He was too overwhelmed by his newfound sight, too many sounds, scents, colors, he had told me," Lionshadow's voice grew softer with every word. He cleared his throat. "But I can't change it. What I can change, is you."

Skypaw flicked her ears in confusion. "What do you mean?" She yelped as Lionshadow scooped her up by the scruff and carried her over uprooted tree roots.

"I can help you grow accustomed to your new sense," he meowed, Skypaw looking down at her paws and carefully stepping over the dips and stones in the ground.

"It's just so weird," Skypaw mewed. "I'm so used to just listening and smelling my way around." She gasped as Lionshadow swiftly leaped over a fallen log. He nodded for Skypaw to try.

Skypaw wiggled her haunches, her eyes focused on the log. "Remember!" Lionshadow called out. "Just use your eyes!"

Skypaw forced her breath to even out, but her heart still thrummed quickly, echoing in her ears. She exhaled sharply, breaking out into a sprint.

Her paws glided over the grass, and she laughed within the run, feeling free. Skypaw sprang up, but her strides were too narrow for her to make it.

She crashed into the log, the upper half of her body hanging over it. She scrambled up, clawing at the log with her claws and pulling herself over it. Lionshadow's eyes were twinkling with amusement.

Skypaw gave a short exhale and puffed out her cheeks. "Don't laugh!" She groaned as she noticed Lionshadow's small smile.

"No, no!" Lionshadow pleaded. "I'm not laughing. I'm proud. I didn't expect such a good running stance from you."

Skypaw raised an eyebrow as she picked bits of leaves and twigs that caught in her fur when she had fallen. "What's that supposed to mean?" She spat out a piece of bark.

Lionshadow sighed and rolled his eyes. "C'mon," he flicked his tail for her to follow.

Skypaw crawled up, marching after her mentor. A sappy, squirrelly scent drowned her nose and she felt sick from it. She screwed up her nose and stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"What in StarClan is that smell?" Skypaw gagged, coughing as they approached a greener area with thick undergrowth and tall oak trees.

"ThunderClan," Lionshadow spat, his eyes centered on something behind Skypaw. The she cat spun around and hunched down as several cats approached them.

"Yellowscar," Lionshadow growled, his eyes slitting. The bulky, tannish-cream tabby tom scoffed.

"Lionshadow," the cream tabby snarled. His yellow eyes settled on Skypaw. She felt like her pelt was on fire.

"Who's the little scrap with you? Some stray, like all ShadowClan scraps?" Yellowscar spat harshly, his voice gravelly. It made Skypaw's fur bristle.

"At least I have a scrap of a good personality!" Skypaw snapped back, her words spewing out with no filter. Her eyes sparked like the beginnings of a wildfire.

Yellowscar recoiled in surprise at her hasty retort. He growled under his breath and leaned into her face, his hot, smelly breath on her whiskers. He looked her up and down with a disdainful look.

Skypaw swished saliva in her mouth and spat it at him. Yellowscar flinched back in astonishment and disgust. He swiped his paw over his muzzle and groaned.

"You should teach your _apprentice_ to curb her rude manners," Yellowscar scoffed with a scornful glance at Skypaw.

"Yes, of course, Yellowscar," Lionshadow meowed in a fake cheery voice. Skypaw looked up at him like she'd been betrayed. Lionshadow gazed down at her briefly with a sly gleam in his eyes.

"Perhaps she will when you learn how to freshen your breath and not be an arse," Lionshadow chuckled, still maintaining his polite-like tone. Yellowscar stood offended and thrown off guard.

"Good day to you," Lionshadow dipped his head courteously and ushered himself and Skypaw away calmly.

A light brown she cat with a paler underbelly jabbed Yellowscar in the side. "Yellowscar!" She gasped. "Aren't you going to do anything?"

"Shut up, Dustcloud," he barked, pushing her to the side. She shamefully looked down at her paws and bit her lip.

"S-sorry, jeez," she muttered dejectedly, kicking up a clump of soil and grass.

"I said shut up, you fool!" Yellowscar howled, his muzzle in her face. Dustcloud leaned back and nodded meekly, her ears flat against her head.

"Are all ThunderClanners like that?" Skypaw asked, shaking out the chills that Yellowscar had given her.

Lionshadow picked at a clod of dirt. "Well, no." He beckoned her to come closer. "They all are different, like soil. There's the hard earthy kind, the soft squishy kind, and then there's plain mud."

Skypaw nodded, feeling the earth with her paw. "It's such a nice brown color! And soft too!" She noticed, her eyes round in awe.

"Yes," Lionshadow agreed. "But no matter how different the soil _looks_ and _feels,_ it will always be soil."

Skypaw thought for a moment. "So, no matter how a ThunderClan cat acts, they're always ThunderClanners?" Skypaw realized her words. "They'll always be ThunderClan, but then if they act different, what really is a ThunderClan cat?"

"A stuck up," Lionshadow growled, flicking the dirt clump away. "They want to fix the problems of every clan, butting into our business and think they're the best."

"They have no right doing that!" Skypaw gasped. "We can fix our own problems if one should arise."

Lionshadow purred. "Well said, Skypaw," he chuckled, swishing his tail as he padded forward. Skypaw scampered after him proudly.

"What are the other clans like?" Skypaw asked, her legs beginning to feel weary, but she pushed on. Fallenleaf had told her she'd get used to walking so much.

"RiverClan are avid swimmers," Lionshadow's back tingled with chills as he spoke. "They're almost always plump, with their large build and availability of food throughout every season."

Skypaw giggled. "They sound funny!"

Lionshadow purred rumbly. "I suppose so, but beware, their smell of fish might drive you away."

"Ew!" Skypaw gasped, giving him a playful push and laughing. Lionshadow snickered softly and grunted as he bumped into Skypaw, as she had frozen.

"What's the matter?" Lionshadow meowed, his voice alarmed and fretful. Lionshadow peered at her, walking around and standing in front of her. Tears were forming in her round eyes.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, clearly worried. Skypaw brushed past him, her eyes wide and unblinking.

The rows of pine trees had come to a stop, but instead replaced by light brown and lime green plants were scattered along the pale tan ground.

Glistening, sky blue water stretched for hundreds of fox lengths, the sun shining off the water and sparkling on the surface. Mounds of bright grass could be seen in the far distance, presumably WindClan territory.

Tears found their way into Skypaw's eyes and rolled down her cheeks. "It's… so beautiful," she breathed, gasping as she was breath taken.

Lionshadow seemed to sigh in relief. "I suppose it is." He agreed, staring across the lake.

"C-can we go to it?" Skypaw asked, bouncing up. Lionshadow purred and nodded.

Skypaw laughed and raced forward, her paws throwing up soil behind her. Skypaw skidded to a halt once her paws reached the sandy soil. She stared down at the ground and rubbed her paw pads against the grit.

"What… what is this?" Skypaw asked, taking wary steps backwards.

"It's called sand," Lionshadow snickered as Skypaw chewed on a claw that got sand stuck in it.

"It tastes bad!" Skypaw spat, licking her fur to try and get the taste of it off her tongue.

"You're not supposed to _eat_ it," Lionshadow sniggered. Skypaw huffed and whirled around at him.

"I know that!" Skypaw protested. "It got all in my claws." She grumbled.

"It does that," Lionshadow growled, now picking at his own claws. "Perhaps we should get back to camp."

"Camp?" Skypaw jumped in surprise. "But we're supposed to learn to hunt! And fight!" She swung her tail back and forth. "Can we go hunting?"

Lionshadow purred in amusement. "I don't know what thistledown the warriors have been putting in your head, but most apprentices only look at the territory on their first day."

Skypaw sunk down in sorrow. "Oh." She crawled over towards the shore and began picking at the soft sand-soil. The water pulled out, Skypaw venturing forward.

"I wouldn't advise you to do that!" Lionshadow yowled after her.

Skypaw shrieked as the water began rushing back to shore, the wetness touching her paws. She cried out and raced back to Lionshadow.

She crawled under him and poked her head from under his chest. "It's cold!" She whimpered.

"It almost always is," Lionshadow meowed, holding in a laugh. "Come on, we can tell Bluepaw and Ashpaw all about your adventure."

"They don't like me," Skypaw stated. "I wanna tell Poppypaw. He likes me."

"Why don't they like you?" Lionshadow asked, concern flickering in his eyes.

Skypaw shrugged. "I dunno. They say Grassblade doesn't love me like a daughter. That she liked Dovekit better, or didn't even want she kits."

"Well, is it true?" Lionshadow meowed. He draped his plump tail over Skypaw's back.

"I'm not sure," Skypaw confessed. "Grassblade started acting differently when Littlelight's treatment began working. I think it's because everyone thought I was useless when I couldn't see."

"That's certainly not true," Lionshadow insisted. He flicked his ear. "I thought you were pretty brave. So did Fallenleaf and Shadygrass."

Skypaw's shoulders stood higher. "I suppose they did," she meowed slowly. "But they have a strong connection to me. They're the ones who found me."

"We like you, Skypaw," Lionshadow stated out of the blue. Skypaw tilted her head in confusion at him.

"We don't think you're useless," he meowed, meeting her eyes.

Her shoulders sagged. "Blacktooth does."

"Blacktooth is sensitive about rogues. They killed his sister and mother," Lionshadow sighed heavily. "Sweetshade and Crowpaw." He meowed with sorrowful sympathy.

"I'm not a rogue though!" Skypaw growled. "I'm a ShadowClan cat! It's not like _I'm_ the one who killed his family!"

Lionshadow huffed with exasperation. "You know that's not what I meant."

"But it's what you said!" Skypaw cried out. "You don't think I'm a ShadowClan cat! You think I'm scum! Just some bad rogue!"

"No! I don't think you're a bad rogue!" Lionshadow insisted with persistence. "You're just the product of bad rogues."

Skypaw flinched in surprise at his words. She stared up at him with fury and tears. Lionshadow looked like he regretted what he said.

"No, ugh, that's not what I meant either!" Lionshadow yelled after her as Skypaw began hurriedly pacing away from him.

"I know the way back to camp," Skypaw hissed sharply, her voice breaking. "I think you should too." She sprinted away, bumping into ferns along the way.

Tears streamed down her face as she ran, her throat hot and dry now. Skypaw cried out as her paw caught under a dip in the ground and she rolled down the mound and skidded into mud.

Skypaw picked herself up, wincing as her paw twinged with pain when she stood on it. Her ears echoed with the taunts of her denmates and the words of both Yellowscar and Lionshadow.

" _What an impurity!" "She could never breed with purebloods like us!" "All rogues are good for nothing trouble!" "She'll bring dishonor to ShadowClan!" "We should never have let a_ blind _cat into our clan!" "Who's this scrap? A stray?" "Just the product of bad rogues!" "Bad rogues!"_

Skypaw picked herself up, now coating in mud and her ruffled fur stuck up in different angles.

Skypaw sniffled, swallowing dryly. She limped forward, wincing as her foreleg throbbed with pain. Skypaw slunk through the thorn tunnel of camp hurriedly, running into the broad chest of a sooty grey cat with a grey throat.

"Watch where you're going!" The cat- Blacktooth- snapped at her. His rotted looking teeth split into a sinister smirk. "Oh, right, I forgot. You can't."

"I'm not blind anymore, _Butt_ tooth!" Skypaw spat back. Blacktooth laughed sarcastically at her.

"But do you really use your eyes?" He growled, shoving his muzzle up to hers. "You can't even see how much you are not welcome here."

Skypaw sunk down, her tail between her legs. Blacktooth smiled at the reaction he received.

"Aw, is poor little _Cry_ paw sad?" Blacktooth mocked. "Don't worry, mommy and daddy will comfort you." He grinned to himself again darkly. "Oh, I forgot again! They're dead!"

Skypaw's chest tightened and her claws sunk into the earth. She kept her head down, just as Littlelight told her to if he was provoking her.

"At least your sister wasn't a useless, blind mute!" Blacktooth snarled, giving her a harsh push. "Say something, you runt!"

Blacktooth scoffed, rolling his murky yellow eyes. "You're just as bad as those good-for-nothing friends of yours. Always fooling around and talking back to us responsible warriors."

"What friends?" Skypaw choked out.

"Why, Fallenleaf and Shadygrass, of course," Blacktooth meowed gruffly. "It's a shame too, I trained Shadygrass myself but Nettlestar only called him that because he's got grass for brains. Fallenleaf isn't any better. She's irresponsible and reckless. I'm surprised Nettlestar gave her an apprentice. She should just walk off a gorge!"

Blacktooth began to cackle, but he stopped as Skypaw pounced on him with fury, slashing aimlessly at his shoulders and ears, biting him wherever she could.

 _No one, and I mean NO ONE insults Shadygrass and Fallenleaf and gets away with it!_ Skypaw screamed in her mind, chomping down on his foreleg.

Skypaw felt as she struck flesh, his dark ash fur getting embedded in her claws. Skypaw cried out as Blacktooth's hind legs jabbed into her belly and threw her off. Skypaw coughed out dust, staring at her paws, which were coated in dried mud.

A shadow loomed over her, and Skypaw whirled around to see Blacktooth standing victoriously over her. Skypaw spat out blood that had welled in her mouth.

"Don't test me, _runt,"_ Blacktooth growled. "I will end you, and your sad, pathetic life and friends."

Blacktooth began to walk away, but Skypaw called out after him. "Don't touch Fallenleaf. You can degrade me however you wish, but you so much as let her exquisite name roll off of your vile tongue, _I_ will be the one to end _you."_

Blacktooth glanced back at her. His face revealed nothing as to what he was thinking, with his buck tooth from his bottom jaw sticking out and his yellow eyes slitted.

Fallenleaf entered camp, a plump rabbit in her jaws. She gazed about, dropping her prey when she noticed Skypaw injured on the ground.

"SKYPAW!" Fallenleaf shrieked, bounding over to her and scanning her for serious wounds.

"Are you okay?" Fallenleaf's scent surrounded her, warm and spicy. It reminded Skypaw of a soft crimson color.

"Yeah," Skypaw breath, her mind spinning with Fallenleaf's sudden presence. Fallenleaf's paws held one of Skypaw's paw. It made her heart stop and her breath catch.

"Are you sure?" Fallenleaf asked gently. "You have blood on your face." She noted, leaning in and licking the corner of Skypaw's mouth, cleaning away the blood that Blacktooth had drawn.

Skypaw's face felt hot and her heart was now beating heavily and fast like raindrops falling on the ground. She nodded absently.

"I'm…" Skypaw gulped, her attention drawn away by Fallenleaf's grass colored eyes. "Just fine!" Skypaw laughed nervously, painfully pulling herself up. Her body ached with bruises but she barely felt it compared to the feeling she got when she looked over at Fallenleaf only to see she was looking too.

"Where's Lionshadow?" She asked, looking about.

Skypaw hung her head. "We got into a fight. About my parents."

"Grassblade and Raventalon?" Fallenleaf asked in confusion.

"No!" Skypaw said quickly. "My _real_ parents! Everyone assumes because they weren't clan cats that means they're bad!" Tears began to form in her eyes quickly. "I bet they loved me and Dovekit a lot, and I wish cats didn't judge me because they were rogues!"

"Skypaw," Fallenleaf began gently. She wiped away the hot tears that had began to fall down her cheeks. "I'm sure they did love you. A cat wouldn't die for someone they didn't love, and that tom in the fox den died for you and Dovekit. The fact you are safe shows how much they wanted to protect you."

"Then why do other cats think they were bad?" Skypaw sniffed.

"I don't know," Fallenleaf admitted. "But they're wrong. I know it. You know it. And that's what really matters."

Skypaw leaned her head against Fallenleaf. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Skypaw," Fallenleaf purred. "And just so you know, I love you as well."

Skypaw felt a rumble in her own chest. She closed her eyes and imagined Dovekit beside her. As Dovepaw. Things weren't perfect, but they were going to be okay. After all, with Fallenleaf by her side, what could go wrong?

 **A/N**

 **Well, gee, that ominous ending sure doesn't have any darker implications AT ALL. Anyways, this has been dead for so long and I got in the mood for it so I decided to finish the third chapter! Below are the allegiances by the way!**

 **ShadowClan**

 **Leader:** Nettlestar: a dark brown tabby tom with a pale underbelly and long claws

 **Deputy:** Cinderfrost: dark grey she cat with lighter flecks and blue eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Littlelight: a small, dappled brown-golden she cat with honey colored eyes

 **Apprentice: Poppypaw**

 **Warriors**

Raventalon: a black tom with white paws, chest and yellow eyes

 **Apprentice: Wildpaw**

Gemclaw: a black tabby tom with a white and grey underside and green eyes

Blacktooth: a dark soot colored tom with a white throat and yellowy teeth

Starkwing: a dark grey tabby tom with yellow eyes

 **Apprentice: Icepaw**

Goldenrain: golden tabby she cat with amber eyes and a brownish cream underbelly

Grassblade: a dark grey fuzzy she cat with bright green eyes

Olivefur: a dark brown tom with black paws and tail tip

Berryclaw: a dark cream tabby tom with light blue eyes

 **Apprentice: Flamepaw**

Sunhawk: golden and orange tom with amber eyes and long claws

Fallenleaf: ashy grey she cat with darker flecks, mottled and pale green eyes

 **Apprentice: Bluepaw**

Whitelight: a pure white she cat with sharp amber eyes

 **Apprentice: Acornpaw**

Lizardwhisker: a dappled brown tom with almost greenish tints

Sootfall: a dark grey tom with one white paw

 **Apprentice: Ashpaw**

Minnowflash: a grey and murky brown she cat

Lionshadow: a golden and brown tabby tom with silver-blue eyes

 **Apprentice: Skypaw**

Mothpond: pale golden tom with light cream paws

Snowlion: large white tom with dark brown accents and deep blue eyes

Cloudheart: a slim white she cat with dark green eyes

 **Apprentice: Redpaw**

Thornfang: a brown and grey splotched tom

Frostygrass: light brown she cat with silver flecks and green eyes

Ferretstripe: a light brown and cream tabby tom with a puffy tail

 **Apprentice: Cloverpaw**

Barkshade: a handsome tortoiseshell tom

Pinepelt: a dark reddish brown speckled tom with round green eyes

 **Apprentice: Mudpaw**

Shadygrass: brown tom with black dapples and green eyes

Pouncetail: a dark ginger tabby tom

 **Apprentice: Vixenpaw**

 **Apprentices**

Poppypaw: a light golden tom with dark orange-bracken colored stripes

Wildpaw: black, brown and white speckled she cat

Icepaw: a white she cat with dark green eyes

Snowpaw: a white she cat with one green eye and one yellow eye

Flamepaw: a light ginger tom with white paws and tail tip

Bluepaw: a dark blue grey tom with grey paws and blaze

Acornpaw: a caramel brown colored tabby tom

Ashpaw: a light grey speckled tom with a white chest and yellow eyes

Skypaw: a white and silver tabby she cat with lavender eyes

Redpaw: a tall, dark reddish brown tom with golden eyes

Cloverpaw: a dark brown and caramel mottled she cat with white paws and green eyes

Mudpaw: a dark brown she cat with black paws, ears and splotches

Vixenpaw: a dark red she cat with black paws, ears, cream underbelly and a fuzzy tail

 **Queens**

Raggedfern: a dark brown she cat with pale green eyes and ruffled fur (mother of Sneezekit, Emberkit and Mosskit; four moons old)

Gingerbreeze: a thick haired ginger she cat with darker paws (expecting Pouncetail's kits)

Sorrelsong: a small, long legged calico she cat with soft blue eyes (mother of Seedkit, Tawnykit, Willowkit and Sagekit; three moons old)

 **Elders**

Dryleaf: brown and black mottled she cat; eldest in ShadowClan

Shredear: a dark grey and white speckled tom with scarred ears

Palefog: a light grey tom with hazy blue eyes

 **Kits**

Sneezekit: a white and grey splotched tom

Emberkit: a dark ginger she kit with lighter flecks and black paws

Mosskit: a pale brown she cat with grey eyes and stripes

Seedkit: a light yellowish tom with brown stripes, chest and ears

Tawnykit: a light brown, blue-grey and white splotched tom

Willowkit: a beautiful silvery tabby she kit

Sagekit: a solid black she kit with round green eyes and long legs

 **ThunderClan**

 **Leader:** Duskstar: a dark, blue grey tom with black paws

 **Deputy:** Amberfern: a dark ginger-brown tom with small ears

 **Apprentice: Bramblepaw**

 **Medicine cat:** Hollythorn: a lean, elderly black tom with amber eyes

 **Apprentice:** Leafwind: a tiny, brown tabby she cat with grey eyes

 **Warriors**

Daisystalk: a pale cream she cat with amber eyes

 **Apprentice: Squirrelpaw**

Sprucefoot: a dark brown tom with white stripes

Newtfeather: a sleek, brown-grey she cat with black swirl-stripes and yellow eyes

 **Apprentice: Stormpaw**

Birchleaf: a tall, light brown tabby tom with a white chest and paws

Dewwing: a short-legged, pale blue-grey she cat with a white underbelly and mask

Paleclaw: a light creamy tom with dark blue eyes

 **Apprentice: Lilacpaw**

Yellowscar: a bulky, tannish-cream tabby tom with various scars

Pebbledust: a pale, smokey grey speckled she cat

Orangeflower: a light amber colored tabby she cat with a paler underside

 **Apprentice: Brightpaw**

Smokeheart: a grey she cat with a white chest

 **Apprentice: Lambpaw**

Quailclaw: a dark grey tom with black and white flecks

Webshade: a pale silver she cat with odd white stripes

Dustcloud: a light brown she cat with a paler underbelly and amber eyes

 **Apprentices**

Bramblepaw: dark brown tabby tom with a paler underbelly and amber eyes

Squirrelpaw: a light grey tom with a thick tail and amber eyes

Stormpaw: a light grey and black tom

Lilacpaw: a silver tabby she with narrow blue eyes

Brightpaw: a white and ginger tabby she cat

Lambpaw: a grey-white, thick furred she cat with amber eyes

 **Queens**

Honeybee: a light ginger she cat with black swirl-stripes and white paws (expecting Duskstar's)

Rowanfoot: a light brown she cat with dark brown swirls (mother of Darkkit, Tigerkit and Fawnkit; five moons)

 **Elders**

Smallwhisker: a black she cat with a white chest, tail and paws

Bearclaw: large brown tom with long fur, black spots and a cream muzzle

 **Kits**

Darkkit: a dark brown tom with black splashes

Tigerkit: a dark ginger she kit with dark brown eyes

Fawnkit: a reddish tom with white speckles

 **RiverClan**

 **Leader:** Featherstar: a sleek dark grey she cat with white flecks

 **Deputy:** Paddlefoot: a silvery grey tom with black paws

 **Medicine cat:** Mossfoot: an amber tom with black stripes, white underbelly and green eyes

 **Apprentice: Puddlepaw**

 **Warriors**

Redthorn: a light ginger tom with white paws and chest

Dovesplash: a light grey she cat with white splotches

Mistsky: misty grey she cat

 **Apprentice: Shellpaw**

Hailcloud: a white and grey tabby tom

Willowthorn: greyish white she cat with green eyes

 **Apprentice: Timberpaw**

Whitepetal: white she cat with green eyes

Morningpelt: ginger tabby tom with paler underbelly

Gooseleap: a grey tom with darker grey mottles

Brightmask: ginger mottled she cat

 **Apprentice: Patchpaw**

Podwhisker: dark grey tabby tom

 **Apprentice: Spiderpaw**

Rainpetal: a white she cat with black splashes

Hollynose: a dark reddish tabby she cat with a greyish nose

Russetstripe: a dark reddish tabby tom with black ears

 **Apprentice: Snakepaw**

 **Apprentices**

Puddlepaw: a handsome, small blue and greyish tabby tom with bright yellow eyes

Shellpaw: an albino she cat with pinkish eyes

Timberpaw: a white she cat with dark brown flecks

Patchpaw: a pudgy, calico she cat with long whiskers

Spiderpaw: a light brown tom with long legs and a short tail

Snakepaw: a tortoiseshell tom with a white underbelly

 **Queens**

Waterbreeze: a pale, blue grey tabby she cat (mother of Oatkit, Tumblekit and Violetkit; one moon)

Lilypuddle: a pale silver mottled she cat (mother to Smallkit and Littlekit; three moons)

Ravenfall: fluffy black she cat with ruffled fur (mother of Lizardkit and Loudkit; four moons)

 **Elders**

Pepper: a black and grey tom

Clamheart: old grey she cat with thin black markings

Lakepool: thick furred grey tabby she cat

Scorpionheart: a dark tom with ginger streaks

 **Kits**

Oatkit: yellowish brown tom with darker flecks

Tumblekit: a dark grey she kit with a blue grey chest and tail

Violetkit: grey and white she kit

Smallkit: a light brown and white tabby she kit

Littlekit: a thin white and grey tom

Lizardkit: black tom with green eyes

Loudkit: white tom with yellow-green eyes

 **WindClan**

 **Leader:** Swiftstar: a black and white splotched tom

 **Deputy:** Sharpsnow: a caramel brown tom with a white underbelly and legs

 **Apprentice: Olivepaw**

 **Medicine cat:** Crimsonpool: deep ginger tom with dark cream underbelly and lime eyes

 **Apprentices: Berrypaw, Mudpaw**

 **Warriors**

Jaystreak: grey tabby tom with blue eyes

Deerheart: brown and white she cat with light green eyes

 **Apprentice: Lichenpaw**

Nightmist: black she cat with silver flecks

Frecklefur: light grey tom with dark brown and light ginger spots

Ripplestep: cream tom with tabby stripes

 **Apprentice: Eaglepaw**

Smokepool: smokey grey tom with white smears

 **Apprentice: Spottedpaw**

Waspwing: a narrow faced dark ginger she cat with black paws

Curlleaf: chubby brown tom with curly fur and green eyes

Beescar: light brown tabby tom with darker flecks and small scars all over

Leafcatcher: cream she cat with darker dapples

 **Apprentice: Sedgepaw**

Swampgust: dark brown she cat with dark green eyes

 **Apprentice: Avianpaw**

Ivyscratch: skinny silver and grey tabby she cat with shaggy fur

Timberlurk: tall dark brown tom

Foxnose: a ginger tom with darker ears, legs, strikes and black spots

 **Apprentices**

Olivepaw: a dark brown and grey speckled she cat

Berrypaw: reddish brown she cat with yellow-green eyes

Mudpaw: light brown she cat with one dark brown paw and half of her tail

Lichenpaw: a silvery grey tom with thick, messy fur

Eaglepaw: a dark brown tom with a white mask and paws

Spottedpaw: a thin, tortoiseshell she cat with yellow eyes

Sedgepaw: a murky, grey-brown speckled tom

Avianpaw: fluffy dark brown she cat with darker ruffles

 **Queens**

Wavesong: grey and dark grey she cat with blue grey ring marks and blue eyes (mother to Splashkit, Cometkit, and Bloomkit; two moons old)

Kindleflame: skinny taupe brown she cat with long legs, tail and fur (mother of Buzzardkit, Logkit, Softkit, and Tawnykit; five moons old)

 **Elders**

Crescentmoon: a grey she cat with amber eyes and white splashes

Snakegrass: an old, dark brown tabby tom

Mottlefur: a long legged, tortoiseshell tom with faded blue eyes

 **Kits**

Splashkit: white she kit with black splashes

Cometkit: a dark grey tom with distinct amber eyes

Bloomkit: a grey tabby she cat with white stripes

Buzzardkit: taupe brown tom with black ear tips, paws and tail tip

Logkit: a brown tom with darker flecks

Softkit: a fluffy cream she kit

Tawnykit: a brown tabby tom


	4. Chapter 3: Darkness

**A/N**

 **I'm feeling motivated, and since I'm on winter break, I can write nonstop! Ha!**

 **Guest: I don't know if I'll update Lost anytime soon. The writing feels choppy to me, but I don't feel like rebooting it. Right now, my active stories are the Stolen reboot and this one.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Darkness**

As the sun began to set, Skypaw picked a simple mouse from the fresh-kill pile to share with Poppypaw, but as she turned around, she bumped into Lionshadow. She had been avoiding him out of shame since she got back to camp.

"Skypaw-" he began, but she cut him off.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to talk," she said quickly.

"I wanted to apologize," Lionshadow said.

Skypaw stopped. "What?"

He looked down. "I was a rogue. I know they're not all bad. I know _you're_ not bad. I'm sorry, Skypaw."

Skypaw blinked in surprise. She let out a sigh. "It's alright. I'm sorry I overreacted."

"Tonight's the Gathering, you know," Lionshadow said.

"I know," Skypaw smiled. "Fallenleaf told me new apprentices are rarely chosen, though."

"That may be true," Lionshadow admitted. "But I may have mentioned to Nettlestar I was impressed with your progress today."

"You what?!" Skypaw shrieked in shock. "B-but I barely did anything! I yelled at you…"

Lionshadow gave a deep chuckle. "You were right. I'm glad to have an apprentice that sticks to her opinions in the face of authority. Plus, I was talking about your previous blindness."

"Oh," Skypaw said. "I guess I did do okay."

"C'mon, he's called the meeting," Lionshadow said, nudging her up.

Skypaw ran to the base of the leader's den, where Nettlestar was addressing the clan underneath a low hanging hazel branch.

"The cats attending the Gathering tonight shall be: Starkwing, Goldenrain, Berryclaw, Fallenleaf, Minnowflash, Lionshadow, Thornfang, Icepaw, Snowpaw, Acornpaw, Mudpaw, and Skypaw," Nettlestar announced.

Skypaw could hardly believe it. Ashpaw and Bluepaw were giving her dirty looks. Fallenleaf trotted up to her. "This is going to be amazing! Your first Gathering! And on your first day of being an apprentice, no less!"

"I didn't really expect it…" Skypaw trailed off. She shot Lionshadow a glance, but he had gone to walk with Berryclaw and Thornfang.

"C'mon, we can all go together," Fallenleaf said as Goldenrain bounced up to them. She raised her tail in the air joyously. "The ShadowClan sisters!"

Goldenrain and Skypaw giggled. The cats set off out of camp, and Skypaw found it was a relatively short walk. "This travel must suck for WindClan," Skypaw snickered.

"It's a wonder they're never _winded_ by the time they arrive," Fallenleaf said. She nudged Goldenrain. "Get it, get it?"

Skypaw was laughing like it was the funniest joke she'd ever heard in her life. However, she quickly cut herself off when she saw the cats jumping up on the large tree acting as a crossing point across the lake.

"Oh, right," she groaned. Goldenrain leapt up, and Skypaw followed nervously.

"I'll be right behind you, don't worry," Fallenleaf purred.

Skypaw gulped and gave a little nod. She summoned up some false courage and dug her claws into the trunk and steadies herself as she walked across. Her mind was solely focused on getting across safely until the moment her paws touched sand.

She gave a haughty laugh. "I did it!"

"It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it," Goldenrain shrugged.

It seemed ShadowClan had arrived before all the other clans, but Skypaw could see the silhouettes of what she assumed was RiverClan approaching in the distance.

She was right, when she caught the strong scent of fish. Some of the cats chose to swim across, which Skypaw found peculiar.

Skypaw noticed a grey-blue tabby tom who looked like he belonged in the nursery. He smelled of herbs rather than fish. She thought him odd, but was distracted by the arrival of ThunderClan. She found herself rolling her eyes.

WindClan arrived last, as she expected, and soon after the meeting began. Icepaw and Snowpaw approached her.

"Hey, want to sit with us?" Icepaw asked.

"Sure," Skypaw shrugged. She sat next to Icepaw and a wiry WindClan apprentice whose name she learned to be Spottedpaw.

"I shall begin," Swiftstar announced. He was the WindClan leader. "Green-leaf has been generous to us. Prey runts bountiful through our territory, and I am pleased to announce Nightpaw and Frecklepaw and are Nightmist and Frecklefur."

He paused to let the cats chant the new warriors names, and Skypaw noticed the two cats basking in the attention.

"However," Swiftstar continued. "One of our newer apprentices, Olivepaw, has gone missing. We suspect Twolegs, as we have seen more of them around and I warn the other clans to be cautious."

Duskstar, the ThunderClan leader, stepped forward. "Thank you, Swiftstar. But I'm sorry to say your warning has come late for us. One of our medicine cats, Leafwind, is missing as well. Other than that unfortunate news, ThunderClan is stronger than ever. We have three new apprentices, Stormpaw, Lilacpaw, and Lambpaw."

The cats cheered for them too, but Skypaw couldn't spot them, no matter how hard she searched. She assumed they were absent.

Nettlestar took his chance to speak. "Thank you as well, Swiftstar. I will warn ShadowClan to be more vigilant. We have both new warriors and new apprentices. Mothpaw and Lizardpaw are now Mothpond and Lizardwhisker. We also have Ashpaw, Bluepaw, Skypaw and Poppypaw, who has chosen to walk the path of a medicine cat."

This time, Skypaw got to bask in the attention of hearing the other cats cheer her name. She had to admit, it was satisfying.

Last was Featherstar of RiverClan. Her voice was soft and willowy as she spoke. "RiverClan shall keep an extra eye out for those nasty Twolegs," she confirmed. We have two new apprentices, Shellpaw and Puddlepaw, who has also chosen the path of a medicine cat.

Skypaw spotted the tiny tom from earlier. _Oh, he's a medicine cat. No wonder he's so small._ He looked uncomfortable with all the the cats staring at him.

Cats mingled for a bit, until RiverClan departed, and all the other clans followed suite. "C'mon, Skypaw," Fallenleaf said as she walked up to her. Minnowflash was at her side. She was a muscular she cat, with a deeper voice but a sweet personality. Skypaw was still sometimes intimidated by her.

"H-hi, Minnowflash," Skypaw stuttered.

"Hello, Skypaw," She rumbled. She was purring, leaning on Fallenleaf who nuzzled her back. A spark of jealousy found its way in Skypaw.

"Um, I'm gonna walk with Icepaw and Snowpaw," Skypaw grumbled.

She ran up to the identical sisters. "Hey, guys," she greeted them sweetly.

"We know you're only talking to us because you're jealous of Minnowflash," Icepaw said, rolling her eyes.

"I- what!" Skypaw gasped, caught off guard. "Preposterous!"

"Please," Icepaw groaned, rolling her eyes again.

"It's obvious," Snowpaw sighed. "You like her."

"Minnowflash? No way," Skypaw scoffed. "I mean, she's nice, but I don't like her that way."

Icepaw rolled her eyes a third time. It seemed to be her trademark. "No, not Minnowflash. Fallenleaf. You like _her."_

"I like… Fallenleaf?" Skypaw muttered. Her eyes followed the ashy she cat. Her form was nimble as she leapt across the tree trunk, and her laughter like a song. "Do I?"

"If you have to ask yourself, you should know the answer," Icepaw said as she jumped onto the tree, Snowpaw following.

Skypaw stood, paws stuck to the ground. She was going over the twins' words when a ThunderClan cat shoved her. "Hey, get a move on!" He snapped, pushing her out of the way.

Skypaw huffed and hurried along the tree trunk to where her clanmates were waiting. Acornpaw and Mudpaw followed after her, and they all set out. Skypaw trudged at the back, mind swirling.

Fallenleaf was the one to find her and bring her to ShadowClan. She was a strong warrior Skypaw looked up to, and if she happened to be nice and pretty, that was a bonus, and- oh no. Skypaw felt her heart sink. She _did_ like her.

Out of all the cats to like, why Fallenleaf? She may have been objectively perfect, but now she had to worry about it ruining her friendship with her. Skypaw shook her head. Just because she knew now, doesn't mean she has to tell Fallenleaf.

She collapsed in her new nest once they arrived back at camp, legs and heart aching. She saw Fallenleaf and Minnowflash giggling together as they headed to the warrior den, and she buried her face in her paws.

"Skypaw?" Came a whisper. She didn't answer. "Skypaw?"

"Skypaw!" The voice said a third time. She looked up.

"What!" Skypaw growled. Poppypaw shrinked back.

"Geez, grumpy," Poppypaw sighed. "I stayed up to ask you! How was the Gathering?"

Skypaw grumbled into her paws. "Don' wanna talk bout it."

Poppypaw looked concerned, but he dropped it. "Okay, well, sleep well, sis."

Skypaw didn't respond. Instead, she dug out a scrap of white fur buried in her nest and twirled it in her paws. She hoped the stale scent of her sister would comfort her as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

It felt like she had just gone to sleep when sunlight spilled onto her eyes. She resented being a new apprentice, as it meant getting a nest close to the entrance so the more experienced apprentices could sleep in the back.

She grudgingly got up, stretching and burying the scrap of fur back into her nest. She was up before a few of the other apprentices, but she saw two nests in the back belonging to Vixenpaw and Redpaw were empty.

Skypaw walked out of the den and saw the two apprentices returning from the dawn patrol. They were the oldest, and would probably be made warriors in the following moon. Lionshadow was on the patrol as well, and he approached her.

"I'm surprised I didn't have to wake you," he noted. "Most new apprentices are a thorn in the paw to get up this early." He looked in the direction of Fallenleaf and Sootfall trying to drag Bluepaw and Ashpaw up out of their nests.

Skypaw suppressed a giggle. "I'm a bit of an early bird anyways." The crisp morning air ruffled her fur and she breathed in deeply. "What are we doing today?"

"Well, Gingerbreeze is going to give birth any day now, so Littlelight has asked us to fetch some herbs for her," Lionshadow explained.

Skypaw frowned a little. Lionshadow placed his thick tail over her shoulder. "Don't worry, we're going hunting right after. A cat's duty is to their clan, remember. Gingerbreeze's kits are the future of the clan."

"I know," Skypaw sighed, straightening herself. "Is anyone else coming?"

"Yes, Littlelight is sending Poppypaw, so he can learn more about the herbs needed," Lionshadow said. Poppypaw was dragging himself out of the den, yawning.

His golden tabby fur was tangled and he looked like he had risen from the dead. Littlelight came up to him with a herb and had him sniff it. It was apparently foul, as he recoiled and gagged, but he looked more awake now.

Poppypaw trudged up to Lionshadow and Skypaw. "That sure woke me up," he groaned, arching his back as he stretched. "Okay, so we're looking for borage leaves, burnet, and chervil."

"You know what they look like?" Skypaw asked.

He nodded. "Littlelight showed me last night. She's a bit firm, to be honest."

Lionshadow gave a hearty chuckle. "Ah, she always has been. Even when we were kits."

"Kits?" Skypaw echoed. "But didn't you join the clans?"

"Yes, with her," Lionshadow said. "Littlelight is my sister, after all."

"Oh!" Poppypaw exclaimed. "I didn't know that!"

"It's alright," Lionshadow shook his head in amusement. "Most cats forget because we're so different."

"We should get going," Poppypaw said meekly.

"Yes, correct," Lionshadow agreed. They marched through the brambles and past the large boulder in front of the exit and out into the forest. Morning dew had yet to evaporate on the leaves.

"We'll have to go to the edge of RiverClan to collect the borage, so we should be careful," Poppypaw warned them.

It was a short trek to the RiverClan border, and they luckily found some chervil growing around a cluster of large rocks. Poppypaw held the sweet-smelling herbs in his mouth great self-control, Skypaw was impressed. They smelled as if they'd taste good.

"I'll go across to check if there's a patrol nearby," Lionshadow said, walking across the strange branches. They weren't woven together, but hard and flat.

"I don't see anyone," Skypaw said, craning her neck. "Let's go!"

"I smell Twolegs," Poppypaw whined from where he was crouching in the tall grass.

"Fallenleaf did say Twolegs come here in green-leaf," Skypaw remembered. "But it smells a bit stale. I'm sure it's safe."

Lionshadow was sniffing the air suspiciously, and a twig snapping caught Skypaw's attention. Skypaw swivelled her head around, but a thin loop was put around her neck, and she yowled and struggled.

A Twoleg was holding a white stick with the loop at the end, pushing and pulling her around. Skypaw flailed her paws. "Lionshadow! Poppypaw!" She cried, feeling like she was being choked.

She looked and saw Lionshadow in the same predicament as her, and saw in the distance a strange monster with little dens inside it with silver vines in front of them.

The Twolegs dragged them towards the monster, and Skypaw struggled even harder, hissing and and scratching at the air. She saw Poppypaw hiding in the grass, terrified. "Help!" Skypaw shrieked, reaching a paw towards him. "Poppypaw, help me! Please!"

She was hoisted into the air and thrown into one of the little dens. "POPPYPAW!" Skypaw cried. The little den was cramped and cold. The silver vines were hard and she couldn't squeeze past them. She circled inside of the den, fear crawling over her.

She collapsed, curling into a little ball of fear and despair. The Twolegs closed the metal wall, leaving her in complete darkness.

 **A/N**

 **Now the real story begins! Mwahahaha**


	5. Chapter 4: Lost Bearings

**A/N**

 **Not much to say in this author note, read on!**

 **Chapter 4: Lost Bearings**

It was a long, bumpy journey. Several times Skypaw's tiny den bounced in the air, startling her.

"Skypaw, are you there?"

Skypaw recognized her mentor's deep voice. "Lionshadow?" She squeaked softly.

"If there are any clan cats here, speak now!" Lionshadow howled.

There was a silence. An exhausted voice spoke. "H-here… I'm RiverClan."

"What's your name?" Lionshadow asked. It was clear the RiverClan tom was young.

"...Puddlepaw," he sighed.

"Puddlepaw, is there anyone else here?" Lionshadow asked.

"Um, there's a crow in the den next to me…" he trailed off. "No other clan cats, though."

"That-that WindClan apprentice…" Skypaw muttered. "And the ThunderClan medicine cat… They must have gotten taken too."

"If they're not here, where are they?" Puddlepaw wondered.

His question didn't get answer, because there was a loud squawk and the sound of fluttering wings. Skypaw saw the crow leap out of the little den.

"He got out!" Lionshadow exclaimed.

"Wait, wait!" Skypaw gasped, sticking a paw out of one of the holes. "Let us out! We promise not to eat you!"

The crow hopped towards her and tilted his head. It was a long shot he could even understand her, but she was told crows were smart.

"What does Trinket get in return?" The crow squawked,, ruffling his wings.

"Trinket? Is that your name?" Skypaw asked, surprised but relieved he understood.

The bird flapped his wings. "Yes, he is Trinket. What will you give him if he frees you?"

Skypaw faltered. "Uh- um-" she could see Trinket losing interest. "Oh, oh! Shiny things! _Lots_ of shiny things!"

"Trinket loves shiny things!" He exclaimed, and hopped forward towards the hard, silver vines. He pecked at it, when suddenly it swung open. He moved on to Lionshadow's den, and then Puddlepaw's.

"Rrraaw!" Trinket crowed. "Trinket did it!"

"Good job, friend," Lionshadow rumbled.

"I think we should stay in the dens," Puddlepaw suggested.

"What? Why!" Skypaw scoffed.

"Well, they'll just capture us again if they see we're free," he pointed out. "I think we should stay in the dens and surprise them when they open the wall again."

"It's called a door," Lionshadow said.

"Okay… when they open the door," Puddlepaw corrected himself.

The three of them went back in their cramped dens for an indefinite amount of time. Finally, the door swung open and sunlight spilled in. Trinket flew out in the faces of the Twolegs.

"Trinket is free!" He squawked happily. They took this distraction as their chance to race out. With Lionshadow leading the way, Skypaw and Puddlepaw jumped out of the monster and across the hard ground.

"Quick, to the forest!" Lionshadow gasped, jumping towards the shrubbery. They could see Twolegs dens on either side, aside from this small strip of trees and plants.

The three of them crouched in the grass, out of sight from the Twolegs, who gave up looking for them rather quickly.

"Where are we?" Puddlepaw whispered.

"I'm not sure…" Lionshadow muttered. "This isn't the Twoleg place where I was from…"

"Do you think the other clan cats that got taken are here?" Skypaw asked.

"Probably somewhere," Lionshadow agreed. "C'mon, the coast is clear."

They hesitantly walked out of the grass, following the large tom's lead. "We need to locate the informant of this area. There's always a cat who knows all the comings and goings of a territory."

They walked along the fences of the Twoleg dens, jumping from fence to fence. Skypaw and Puddlepaw found it easy, but Lionshadow struggled a bit with his large frame.

"I smell a cat," Skypaw said. She sniffed the air a few times. "Over here." She jumped off the fence and into a dim alleyway. It smelled like rotting prey, but under that, she could smell another cat.

There was a scrappy, grey tom on top of a green and black structure, digging through it. "Hey, you!" Skypaw hissed. The tom looked up, and scrambled down.

Lionshadow caught and pinned him down. "You're going to tell us who knows how to get out of here, or else." He unsheathed his claws.

The tom squirmed. "I don' want no trouble! Just lemme go!" Lionshadow slowly released him.

He scooted a bit away from them and groomed a paw. "The name's Mange."

"Don't care," Skypaw growled.

Mange looked offended. He sighed. "The cat you're lookin' for is actually two. A brother and sister. Lance and Muffin. They live five houses down from here. If ya wanna know somethin' ya go to them."

"Thank you," Puddlepaw said quickly.

"Didn' have much a choice," Mange huffed. "Now, if that's all, I'm gonna get some lunch." He jumped back up on the foul-smelling structure and jumped inside. They could hear him scrambling around inside.

"What is that?" Skypaw asked.

"It's a dumpster," Lionshadow said. "Twolegs throw things that have gone rotten in there."

"Gross," Puddlepaw groaned. Skypaw nodded her agreement.

"Mange said the two cats live five houses down, c'mon," Lionshadow said, leaving the dark alley. He walked down below on the ground while Skypaw and Puddlepaw jumped up on the fences of the houses.

They reached a nice looking beige one with lots of plants in front and a smaller door on a large door. "That's a cat door," Lionshadow noted. He jumped up, and all the way over the fence into the yard.

"Lance? Muffin?" Lionshadow called. "Muffin? Lance?"

"Who wants to know?" Came a smug voice from the other side of the fence. Skypaw and Puddlepaw saw a white and brown tom with blue eyes below them. He jumped up on the fence. "You're in my yard."

"We got taken by Twolegs from our home!" Puddlepaw cried. "We wanna get back, but we don't know how."

"Hm," Lance huffed. He jumped down onto the grass, and Skypaw and Puddlepaw followed. "I can help you. What are your names?"

"I am Lionshadow," he meowed. "And that's Skypaw and Puddlepaw."

"Strange names," Lance noted. "There's a new cat next door with names like yours."

"What's their name?" Skypaw asked quickly.

"I think she said it was… Olivepaw?" Lance answered. "But she's not very talkative."

"Olivepaw!" Puddlepaw gasped. "That's the WindClan apprentice that went missing!"

"Yes, WindClan," Lance said. "She said something about that."

Puddlepaw was already up on the shared fence between the two houses, calling Olivepaw's name. A brown and grey speckled she cat slipped out of the cat door after a while.

"Who's calling my name?" She hissed defensively. She spotted Puddlepaw up on the fence. She sniffed the air, and her green eyes grew wide. "You're RiverClan!"

"Yes! Come down here," Puddlepaw asked, and she leapt up onto the fence.

"You two are ShadowClan," Olivepaw said when she saw Lionshadow and Skypaw. They nodded.

"How long have you been here?" Skypaw asked her. Olivepaw joined them in the yard.

"A quarter-moon," she replied.

"Is there anyone else here?" Lionshadow asked.

"Not that I know of," Olivepaw said. "There's a tabby further down who doesn't smell like a rogue or kittypet, but whenever I try to talk to her, she runs back inside."

"That could be the missing medicine cat!" Skypaw exclaimed.

"You must be hungry," Lance chuckled. "Come inside and eat."

Lionshadow and Puddlepaw listened and followed him inside. Skypaw was more hesitant, but Olivepaw pushed her. "C'mon," she groaned. "You'll get used to it."

"Used to… what?" Skypaw asked. Olivepaw was already inside. She growled to herself and walked in. It was a lot to take in, so she stuck to following wherever Lance was leading them. A path let to a large den, with a plump she cat laying in a plush looking nest.

"I brought visitors, Muffin," Lance purred.

Skypaw noticed she was much more beautiful than her brother. She had a pristine creamy coat with brown splotches, cool blue eyes and a soft look.

"Welcome," Muffin purred. "How can we be of service?"

"We wanna go home!" Olivepaw interjected.

"Well, where did you live?" Muffin asked.

"That's the thing, we don't know," Skypaw muttered.

"We came here in a truck, when humans took us," Lionshadow explained.

"Oh, the catchers," Muffin lamented. "They go through the mountains a lot. Are you from there?"

"There are some mountains near us," Lionshadow said.

"You know, there were these two barn cats a very long time ago," Lance said. "Mama and Papa told us about them. One had a funny name like yours. Something-paw."

"He told my mama a story once, about cats with weird names who used to live here, but moved. They went over the mountains," Lance finished.

Puddlepaw's eyes went wide. "He's talking about when the clans found the lake territory!"

"So, you can help us?" Skypaw asked.

"I believe so," Muffin said.

Olivepaw let out a shriek of delight. "Yes!"

"Oh, but you'll have to wait," Muffin said sympathetically. "I can't travel." She looked down at her chubby belly. "It'll be too much strain."

"We can take you when she gives birth and the kits are strong enough to travel," Lance agreed.

"Bu-but, that'll be like four moons!" Olivepaw gasped. "I can't stand it here!"

"Patience, Olivepaw," Lionshadow warned her. "In that time, I can mentor you and Skypaw. If you can learn to hunt here, hunting back in the forest will be easy."

Olivepaw groaned loudly, but it was clear she was subdued. Skypaw felt numb. Four moons. Four moons until they can go home. Four. Moons.

"I'm sorry," Skypaw said quietly, and ducked outside. She leapt up onto the fence and stared out into the woods. To the bare eye, they looked nice, but Skypaw knew they used to hold a beautiful world, one where her ancestors thrived.

"Skypaw, isn't it?" Came Muffin's voice.

"What do you want?" Skypaw sighed.

"Nothing," Muffin said. "Are you okay?"

Skypaw jumped down from the fence next to Muffin. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course," Muffin said.

"You can't tell anyone," Skypaw insisted.

"I won't," Muffin promised.

"I… I think I like she-cats. There's this she cat back home," Skypaw confessed. "She's really strong and cool, and I wanna see her again. I can't wait four moons, or she's going to fall in love with Minnowflash!"

Muffin let out a little giggle. "I understand. I like she cats too."

Skypaw gawked. "B-but you're-"

"Expecting?" Muffin guessed. "I like toms too, you know."

"You can do that?" Skypaw gasped. "Uh, where's your mate, then?"

"His name was Jacks," Muffins said. "He left me. He didn't want kits."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Skypaw mumbled. "If it helps, if I was your mate, I'd never leave you."

Muffin purred. "You're cute," she giggled. Skypaw blushed a little.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here. Skypaw followed Muffin back inside.

"You okay?" Lionshadow asked.

"I will be," Skypaw sighed.

"Good," Lionshadow said. "I thought now might be a good time to go hunting. You're bound to be hungry."

"If you're going to hunt," Lance began. "I suggest avoiding the rats. They'll make you sick."

"There are birds and squirrels by the pond!" Muffin called out.

"Not our usual food source, but we'll manage," Lionshadow nodded. Skypaw gagged at the thought of eating squirrels like ThunderClanners.

"I don't do good with a lot of trees," Olivepaw whined. "I like open spaces…"

Lionshadow crouched in front of her. "We're all out of our comfort zone here," he meowed softly. "Besides, when we get home, you can impress all your clanmates. I bet they can't hunt in the forest."

Olivepaw giggled a bit. "It would make Sharpsnow mad to see me do something he can't." She thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Good, we're going now," Lionshadow chuckled. "Puddlepaw, it'll do you good to come with. Even medicine cats can hunt to some degree."

Puddlepaw mumbled something under his breath. "Fine," he sighed, trudging behind the two she cat apprentices.

Lionshadow followed the scent of water, and into the small woodland where the little pond was. "Okay, hunker down," he ordered. They all crouched.

"Tell me what you smell," Lionshadow asked.

"Sparrow," Skypaw answered instantly.

"I think I smell lapwing," Olivepaw gasped joyously.

"Um, squirrel?" Puddlepaw said hesitantly.

"Yes, but it's stale," Skypaw added. "There's mouse somewhere, too."

"Show me your hunting crouches for mice," Lionshadow ordered. The three of them dropped to the ground. Olivepaw's was the best out of all three of them, as she had been an apprentice for a moon more than them. Skypaw's was adequate, but her stance was unsteady and her tail was too low. Puddlepaw's was the poorest, wobbly and unsure of himself.

"Hmm…" Lionshadow thought. He spent a bit of time fixing Skypaw and Puddlepaw's stances and showing them the correct way to stalk their prey, before he gave out instructions.

"Since Olivepaw is accustomed to the moors, I'll stick with her here," Lionshadow said. "Skypaw, you take Puddlepaw to the other side."

Skypaw nodded and the two of them leapt off into the undergrowth. Puddlepaw hung low, tail brushing the grass dejectedly. Skypaw paused. "Are you sad?" She asked bluntly. "I'm not very good at reading emotion."

Puddlepaw sighed. "I'm a medicine apprentice for a reason, Skypaw. I'm small, so I'm not very good at fighting or hunting. Which I'm okay with! I like medicine, not hunting or fighting."

"You don't have to be good, you just gotta be able to feed yourself," Skypaw said. "We'll find you the lamest mouse in this tiny forest and it will be no match for you, no matter how bad you are."

Puddlepaw chuckled a little. "Thanks, Skypaw."

"And look," she meowed. "There's that little rodent right there." She kept low to the tall undergrowth and had her violet eyes fixed on a fat little mouse nibbling on a blackberry.

"Here I go," Puddlepaw sighed. He kept his paws light, which was easy considering how lightweight he was for a RiverClanner. He slid his paws across the ground, careful not to alert the mouse.

A chirp from a bird in the distance startled the mouse, and it took off towards the Twoleg dens. Puddlepaw swore and sprinted after it. Skypaw spotted a squirrel dart out from the same blackberry bush in alarm, and she quickly nabbed it. Not how she imagined her first catch, but it was something nonetheless.

Picking up the squirrel in her jaws, Skypaw raced after Puddlepaw. When she caught up to him, he was sitting in front of a fence with the dead mouse at his paws.

"What's wrong?" Skypaw asked, dropping the squirrel.

There was a small, brown tabby she cat sitting in the yard. Puddlepaw was staring through the worn out holes in the fence. He jumped up onto the fence, and heard the she cat softly crying.

Puddlepaw tilted his head.

"Leafwind?"

 **A/N**

 **Oof, this chapter felt a little slow… Hopefully it starts to feel like it's picking up soon.**


End file.
